title: T cell activation in Guillain-Barré syndrome and in MS: elevated serum levels of soluble IL-2 receptors.
abstract: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), chronic idiopathic demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), and multiple sclerosis (MS) are disorders with presumed immunopathogenesis. To obtain evidence for T cell activation, we determined serum concentrations of soluble interleukin-2 receptors (sIL-2 R) in 50 patients with GBS, 24 with CIDP, and 54 with MS. Both in GBS and clinically active MS sIL-2 R levels were markedly increased compared with those in patients with other neurologic diseases. Four of 24 CIDP patients had abnormally increased sIL-2 R concentrations. sIL-2 R concentrations decreased with clinical improvement in serial samples taken from GBS patients, but were not otherwise correlated with disease severity. These data establish that T cells are activated in GBS and some patients with CIDP, and corroborate earlier evidence that activated T cells are circulating in the blood of MS patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Dusseldorf, West Germany.
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Hartung
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Heininger
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Reiners
authors.forename: K V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Toyka
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D003711:Demyelinating Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology*; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D011129:Polyradiculoneuropathy / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000097:blood*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2